Live selling is the most interesting reselling channel right now. We did $70k on TikTok in the last 28 days.
Here's a starter guide for resellers and anyone looking to make extra money.
(Not for brands... that post is coming soon)
Resellers, let's dive into it:
1/ Sourcing:
Well, in order to sell stuff, you need stuff to sell. So let's talk about sourcing.
Start with liquidation auctions. Low barrier to entry, and you can find real deals if you do the work.
Spend 2 weeks researching before you buy anything. Watch what's selling, what the categories look like, what the average lot prices are. Find something you genuinely believe is a good deal, then test it in a live show.
Start every item at $1 and let the market tell you the truth. If it's profitable, you've found something you can source consistently. If not, you just learned exactly what you need to pay to make it work.
Once you see which brands and categories perform → go find the liquidators, distributors, or the brand direct. Now you have real data to bring to the table, and can make an informed decision.
2/ Give people a reason to come back:
Regardless of how good you are at sourcing, your live stream needs to be more than just your product.
Maybe some sellers can get away with boring hosts and great product, but that will not last long. Your stream needs to be more than a cash grab.
For example, we sell food bundle boxes — protein, candy, drinks, snacks, etc. All put in one box and run at $1. But once or twice a month we will do a themed show.
Sour candy night. Energy drink only. International foods only. We source specifically for these special shows and hype them for weeks in advance.
It keeps the audience engaged. You're creating a culture around your channel — not just selling product.
Reason to come back > buying right now.
3/ Systemize early
This is something I discounted early on and regret. I'm used to selling on Amazon where all the operations and fulfillment are fully systemized and I don't touch it. But with live auctions you need the physical product in your hand, and you need a way to ship it out the next day. Then you need to do it again the next day.
Preferably you are shipping items from yesterday, streaming today, and planning for tomorrow — all at the same time.
Live selling is great because it reduces the need to research, photograph, list, store, pick, pack, etc. But most new live sellers don't take advantage of this.
Our setup: inbound inventory goes straight to a handful of dedicated pallet spaces in the warehouse. Camera sits right in front of those pallets. We sell from the exact spot we received it.
If we plan to sell through completely in a week or less, we'll count and quality check the entire load while we're selling it. This reduces the man hours it would take to do it all before going live. A little risky. Mostly works.
The faster you can move inbound → sold → shipped, the more profitable you are. Build that system early on and adapt as needed.
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There you have it! If this got your entrepreneurial juices going, drop me a follow and I will continue to share my insight into live selling :)